National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL)

YOUTH U. S. SUICIDE RATE EPIDEMIC

UNACCEPTABLE

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people between 10 to 24. Take your loved one seriously: Some people feel that kids who say they are going to hurt or kill themselves are “just doing it for attention.” But if your child, friend, or family member confides thoughts of suicide, believe them and get help.https://SuicidePreventionLifeline.org/Help-Yourself/Youth/

1-800-273-8255 - PLEASE CALL NOW,

The National Institute of Mental Health

1-866-615-6464

40,000+ people die by suicide each year in the United States; it is the 10th leading cause of death overall. Suicide is complicated and tragic but it is often preventable. Know warning signs for suicide - how to get help can help save lives.

Signs of thinking about suicide. Talking about wanting to die or wanting to kill themselves Talking about feeling empty, hopeless, or having no reason to live

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Sometimes, life’s challenges can feel overwhelming, like there’s no way things can get better. When things feel unbearable, or if you’re having thoughts of ending your life, support is available. VA offers a number of programs and resources for Veterans and their loved ones, friends, and health care providers.

Mail: National Institute of Mental Health Office of Science Policy, Planning, and Communications

6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 6200, MSC 96

HELPGUIDEORG INTERNATIONAL , 501(c)3ID #45-4510670

Respond quickly in a crisis Friends & Family with HELP!

Suicidal person is in so much pain that he or she can see no other option.Suicide is a desperate attempt to escape suffering that has become unbearable. Blinded by feelings of self-loathing, hopelessness, and isolation, a suicidal person can't see any way of finding relief except through death. But despite their desire for the pain to stop, most suicidal people are deeply conflicted about ending their own lives. They wish there was an alternative to suicide, but they just can't see one.

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Suicide crisis lines worldwide:

In the UK and Ireland: Call Samaritans UK at 116 123.

In Australia: Call Lifeline Australia at 13 11 14.

In Canada: Call Crisis Services Canada at 1-833-456-4566.

In other countries: Find a helpline near you at Befrienders Worldwide, IASP, or International Suicide Hotlines.

WHY NOT HELP PREVENT SUICIDE-WHY NOT NOW talk about suicide

Many current suicide prevention interventions focus on raising awareness of suicide or on preventing it only at the point just prior to it occurring. But despite decades of government investment in suicide awareness programs, the rate of deaths by suicide in Australia, America an the UK is the highest it's been in ten years.

Clearly, we must expand our efforts. Suicide occurs when a person can't identify any other effective strategy to reduce their distress. It comes at a point when a person has reached the end of their tether. Australia's National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan 2017–2022 largely focuses on this kind of endpoint when people are about to die or have died of suicide. The focus is also on people with serious psychiatric illnesses or those considered at "high risk" of suicide. To bring down Australia's suicide rate, Australia must stop focusing on the suicide itself and put more effort into helping people find ways to cope. It should invest on helping people reduce their emotional reactivity, rather than waiting to intervene until the last minute before someone dies.

Getting there earlier There is often discussion about which age groups (adolescents, older adults or middle-aged adults), life circumstances (homelessness, domestic violence, workplaces, childhood abuse), or professions (doctors, lawyers, veterans, FIFO workers) have highest rates of deaths by suicide. This can distract from the underlying biological, psychological and social factors that contribute to suicide.

It consulted with 3,400 people before launching the app to check what would be most welcome - with the app receiving many positive comments from users. Nat Clarkson, 40, who lives with depression, anxiety and other mental health issues, said: “When someone is in a moment of crisis their thought process is very insular. “It can be hard for people there with them, even family members to get through to them, this app is another way to do that. Despite the positive aspects, the app has been criticised for several glitches. Sue Willgoss lost her son Daniel to suicide this year and said: “I think a lot of the app is good and it provides some useful information. “However I think if the first link you click on is wrong then it doesn’t look very good. “It has links to American groups as well with American numbers and if you are feeling suicidal and ring those it can be a problem. “I don’t think people who are in a crisis would find this app particularly easy to navigate either.” The app features include access to UK national crisis support helplines, access to crisis services in Suffolk and a safety plan which can be filled out by a person considering suicide. Jayne Stevens, SUF manager, said: “I will be looking into these problems with Grassroots who designed and provided the app. “We did test it out ourselves and it has won a lot of service user awards and we did an online survey that had a lot of feedback and hundreds of comments.”

Can we stop male suicide? Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50

There are myriad stories. People who were laughing an hour before they took their lives. People who were simply “not quite themselves”. People who had struggled with long-term depression. People who had a history of suicide in the family. Successful people who seemed to have everything to live for. They all decided to kill themselves. Official records say that in the UK in 2016, 4,508 men and 1,457 women died as a result of suicide, but some experts believe the true numbers may be as high as double that. Men appear particularly vulnerable: in fact, suicide is the leading cause of death in men under 50 in the UK, claiming more lives than car accidents, heart disease or cancer. If it were a new disease, suicide would surely prompt a national emergency. The reasons so many men take their lives are mysterious and infinitely diverse – a complex web of social, psychological, biological and cultural pressures. But new scientific approaches are presenting unexpected avenues for disentangling the threads. Virtual reality experiments and artificial intelligence are revealing those most at risk and could even predict who is most likely to try and take their life. Meanwhile, theories of male ‘social perfectionism’ are throwing light on why men feel they have failed. Together, they offer the prospect of better prevention. It’s a myth, says men’s suicide charity CALM, that men don’t want to talk about their feelings According to Prof Rory O’Connor, who runs the Suicidal Behavior Research Lab at the University of Glasgow.

How technology can HELP
Franklin’s team is interested in testing a proposed link between social isolation and suicide which has until now been unproved. First, they exposed their test subjects to standard psychological scenarios designed to make them feel mildly socially rejected. Then they put them into virtual reality helmets, placing them in a scenario where they were standing on top of a high building. By Simon Crompton October 2018

Netflix 13 ways is “not helpful”

Does Netflix's '13 Reasons Why' glorify suicide ... - NBC News-The controversial new Netflix series 13 ways is “not helpful”, says American’s national suicide prevention charity as it strives to reach a cross-sector response to the issue. Representatives from industries including finance, agribusiness, retail and sport joined suicide prevention experts and academics for the ttps://SuicidePreventionLifeline.org/

The death for American’s aged between 15 and 44, the highest rate in more than 10 years. Suicide was particularly prevalent within male-dominated industries – blue-collar jobs, such as in construction and mining, featured heavily as well as those that granted access to the means of suicide, such as medicine.

“If you’ve got access to highly potent, dangerous drugs, you’re going to have a higher rate.” The issue could not be addressed by the health system alone. “Basically, we’re asking: how do you attack the loneliness of modern life that makes people feel this way?”

That presented opportunities for Lifeline Australia and other charities to collaborate with the private sector in suicide prevention, Twitter was sharing its data relevant to suicide – “times of day, trigger points, key vocabulary” – with the S. P. N. Institute, a not-for-profit facility for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mood disorders and affiliated with the University of Cincinnati. The financial sector had insight into how debt might factor into suicide risk too, he said. “These people have a wealth of data that we think can empower us in terms of suicide prevention.” Depictions and discussion of suicide could help when part of the problem was that it was taboo to talk about. “That’s the fine balance: reporting about suicide as a theme, as a topic, as an experience, to illustrate that hundreds of thousands of people go through [thoughts of suicide] every year, but only 13,000 die by it.

“I think part of the narrative around suicide has to be that ... most get through it and go on to live positive and productive lives; let’s share that side of the story.” WE expressed concern that 13 Reasons Why ran the risk of presenting suicide as a “legitimate choice” and crossed a line in its detailed depiction of means.

“Once you start talking about means, that gets very dangerous. People who are susceptible, that’s the one situation where you can tip them a bit.

“In this case, 13 Reasons Why has gone over that line, which is not helpful.”

Also had reservations about the effectiveness of news reports that skirted around suicide deaths, citing “no suspicious circumstances”.

“I for one don’t know if that’s helpful. If we continue to communicate in these secret codes about suicide, we continue to perpetuate some of the shame.”

Honesty and openness were key, when thoughts of suicide seemed to be “part of the human condition”.

“These thoughts, this behavior, affect hundreds of thousands of people; it’s not necessarily because you’re crazy or you’re unwell ... We need to put it into context and say ‘I’ve had these thoughts too’. “It happens. We get down. It’s kind of in the nature of how our brains work, and most of us get through it.”

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact National Suicide Prevention Lifeline We can all help prevent suicide. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals.

Xxx Mental Health. For every person who dies by suicide, 280 people think seriously about it but don’t kill themselves, according to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. There's not one answer to what makes someone move from thinking about suicide to planning or attempting it, but experts say connectedness can help. "Reaching out ... can save a life," said Jill Harkavy-Friedman, a clinical psychologist and vice president of research at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. "Everybody can play a role." Did you know that September is #SuicidePrevention Awareness Month? One conversation about mental illness and suicide can change a life. Know the warning signs and where to seek help: 977 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy Pay attention to risk factors and warning signs The Suicide Prevention Resource Center reports that these conditions increase a person's risk: Prior suicide attempt Abuse of alcohol or drugs Mental disorders Access to lethal means Knowing someone who died by suicide Social isolation Chronic disease and disability Lack of access to behavioral health care These warning signs, whether risk factors are known or not, mean you should take action:

Talking about wanting to die or to kill themselves Looking for a way to kill themselves, like searching online or buying a gun Talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live

Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain Talking about being a burden to others Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs Acting anxious or agitated, behaving recklessly

Sleeping too little or too much

Withdrawing or isolating themselves

Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge Extreme mood swings You can check in on people based on what you know about them, said John Draper, director of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. "All those warning signs that we’ve listed for what makes a person look suicidal are fairly generic and hard for us to be able to spot unless you’re a diagnostician," Draper said. "However, you know when a person is having relationship problems or going through a divorce – you know when somebody has serious financial loss. ... These are very human recognizable signs that people could be needing help." While experts caution that suicide is never the result of a single cause (bullying, a breakup, job loss), when those events are combined with other health, social and environmental factors they can heighten risk. The most important thing you can do is look for a change, said April Foreman, a licensed psychologist who serves on the American Association of Sociology's board of directors. "Notice when somebody is different," Foreman said. "Trust your gut. If you’re worried, believe your worry."

It's important to encourage someone who is having suicidal thoughts to call the Lifeline (800-273-8255), find a support group or reach out to a therapist, particularly one who specializes in evidence-based suicide prevention techniques such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Suicide Prevention. However, there are also things you can do. The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline have identified these five steps to help reduce deaths by suicide:

1. Ask: In a private setting, ask the person you're worried about directly if they're thinking about suicide. Studies have shown that it does not "plant the idea" in someone who is not suicidal but rather reduces risk. It lets the person know you're open to talking, that there's no shame in what the person may be feeling. If a person tells you they're thinking about suicide, actively listen. Don't act shocked. Don't minimize their feelings. Don't debate the value of life itself, but rather focus on their reasons for living. 2. Keep them safe: Determine the extent of the person's suicidal thoughts."We want to know are you thinking about killing yourself? Do you have a plan? What were you thinking of doing? Do you have the materials to do that? Have you gathered those things? Where are they? What could I do to help you stay around until this pass?" Harvey-Freidman said. If a person does have a plan, it's important to take action to remove the lethal means. (Guns were used in 23,000 of the 45,000 deaths by suicide in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)

3. Be there: If someone tells you they're thinking about suicide, continue to support them. Ask them to coffee. Give them a call. Some people will eventually stop having suicidal thoughts and feelings, others will continue to struggle throughout their lives.

Deena Nyer Mendlowitz, 40, of Cleveland, is a suicide attempt survivor who has had chronic thoughts of suicide since she was 8 years old. Mendlowitz said one of the moments she felt most supported was when she was going through electroconvulsive therapy and a friend brought her a meal." I just felt like I had a regular disease at that point, because they were doing an action they would have done for a friend who was going through anything else," she said. "And I thought, somebody cares about me in the regular way they care about people."4. Help them connect: Encourage them to seek additional support. That could mean calling the Suicide Lifeline (800-273-8255), suggesting they see a mental health professional or helping them connect with a support group. Jennifer Sullivan, a 21-year-old college student at Worcester State University in Massachusetts, struggled with suicidal ideation as an adolescent. It grew worse after she was raped twice, she said. Joining a sexual assault support group made her feel less alone. "I met a fantastic group of young ladies," she said. "One became one of my best friends. When I had feelings of wanting to die or cut I would tell her I was having a bad day." 5. Follow up: Keep checking in. Call them, text them. Ask if there's anything more you can do to help.